Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis and
Drugs
 Consciousness
is our awareness of
ourselves and our environment.
 In addition to what we normally think of as
“normal, waking awareness”, there are
altered states of consciousness as well:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sleep
Daydreaming
Dreaming
Hypnosis
Hallucinations
Meditation
 Infradian
rhythms – occur less than once
a day (ex. menstrual cycles occur once
every 28 days)
 Circadian rhythms – occur once during a
24 hour period (circa “about”; diem
“day”)
 Ultradian rhythms – occur more than
once a day (ex. cycles of sleep)
 “Our
Biological
Clock”
 Regular body
rhythms (i.e.
temperature,
wakefulness,
moodiness) that
occur over a 24
hour cycle
 These rhythms
vary with age.
 Light
tweaks
circadian rhythm
by controlling
output of the
pineal gland.
 Pineal gland
produces
melatonin, the
hormone that
regulates the
sleep/wake
cycle.
 About
every 90
minutes we pass
through a cycle of
five distinct stages
of sleep.
•
•
•
•
•
Stage One
Stage Two
Stage Three
Stage Four
REM sleep
 EEG
– machine that
records brain waves
 Alpha waves – relatively
slow waves displayed in
a relaxed but awake
state prior to stage one
 Stage two –
characterized by “sleep
spindles” (bursts of
rapid, rhythmic brain
activity)
 Delta
waves – large, slow brain waves
associated with stages three and four
(deep sleep)
 From deep sleep, we cycle back
through stages three and two into REM
sleep.
 Stages 1-4 sometimes referred to as
N-REM or non-REM sleep
REM – rapid eye
movement; a
recurring sleep
stage during which
vivid dreams
commonly occur
 Sometimes called
paradoxical sleep –
your body is
internally aroused
but externally calm
 20-25% of sleep is
spent in REM

Sleep protects – evolutionary explanation;
dangers of the dark
 Sleep restores and repairs (Restorative
Theory) - resting neurons need time to
repair themselves
 Sleep helps us remember – reorganizes
and rebuilds fading memories from the day
 Sleep helps our bodies grow – during sleep
the pituitary gland releases growth
hormones

 Insomnia
– problems falling or staying
asleep
 Narcolepsy – spontaneous,
uncontrollable lapses direct to REM sleep
 Sleep apnea – temporary cessation of
breathing during sleep
 Somnambulism – sleep walking
 Night terrors – high arousal of being
terrified; occur in Stage 4
 Bruxism
– grinding of teeth during sleep
 Enuresis – bed wetting (Stage Four)
 Myoclonus – jerking of a body part
(Stage One or Two)
In 1899, Sigmund Freud
publishes “The
Interpretation of
Dreams”.
 Freud called the actual
storyline of a dream
the “manifest content”.
 The underlying
meaning of those
dreams Freud referred
to as its “latent
content”.

 Freud’s
wish-fulfillment– according to
Freud dreams were “safety valves” that
discharges otherwise unacceptable
feelings
• Dreams release unconscious drives and reduce
anxiety
• “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
 Information-processing
– dreams help us
sort out the day’s events and consolidate
our memories
 Physiological
function – regular brain
stimulation from REM sleep may help
develop and preserve neural pathways
• “Use it or lose it” theory
 Activation-synthesis
– REM sleep triggers
neural activities that evokes random
visual memories which our sleeping
brain weaves into stories
• Our brain’s attempt to make sense of “neural
static”
 Cognitive
theory – dream content reflects
cognitive development
• Dreams are essential in brain maturation
• Dreams draw on our concepts and knowledge
 Hypnosis
– state of heightened
suggestibility to which people are
subject in varying degrees
 Highly susceptible people have an
exceptional ability to focus their attention
totally on one task.
• We are all to some degree susceptible to
hypnosis.
 Degree
is measure by the Stanford
Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale
Credit for the
popularity of hypnosis
goes to Franz Anton
Mesmer, a physician,
who mistakenly thought
he discovered “animal
magnetism.”
 Some of his patients
experienced a
trancelike state and felt
better upon waking up.

 Some
research suggest hypnosis IS in fact
an altered state of consciousness.
• Posthypnotic suggestions carried out when no
one was watching.
• Brain scans show activity in particular parts of
brain responsible for stimuli recognition when
stimuli is suggested but not presented.
• Hypnosis has helped alleviate chronic pain in
some subjects.
 Ernest
Hilgard –
famous researcher in
the field of hypnotics
 Proposed the divided
consciousness theory
– idea that hypnosis
causes a “split” in
awareness
 Some
research suggests hypnosis is NOT
an altered state of consciousness.
 Social influence theory – states that
powerful social influences can produce a
state of hypnosis
• Requests of the authoritative figure (hypnotist)
may cause people to perform suggested acts.
 Psychoactive
drug –
chemical substance
that alters
perceptions, mood or
behavior.
 These substances
can induce an altered
state of consciousness.
 Include everything
from caffeine to
crack cocaine and
LSD.
 Physiological
dependence – physical
need for a drug
 Psychological dependence –
psychological need for a drug
 Addiction – compulsive drug craving
and use
• To be classified as addiction drug use must
affect day-to-day living.
Withdrawaldiscomfort and
distress that follows
when a dependent
person discontinues
the use of drug.
 Tolerance – reduced
responsiveness to a
drug, promoting user
to increase dosage to
achieve desired
effect.

 Recall
the process of neurotransmission.
 Psychoactive
drugs get into your synapses
and affect neurotransmission in three
different ways.
 1. Binding with receptor cells – mimics a
neurotransmitter’s effects (Agonists)
 2. Blocking receptor sites – prevents
neurotransmitters from binding
(Antagonists)
 3. Blocking neurotransmitter reabsorption –
intensifying the effects of neurotransmitter
(Antagonists)
 Depressants:
• Alcohol and barbiturates
 Opiates:
• Morphine and heroin
 Stimulants:
• Amphetamines (Caffeine and nicotine)
• Methamphetamines (“speed”)
• Cocaine
 Hallucinogens:
• LSD and ecstasy (MDMA)
 Marijuana
 Either
alone or in pairs, you are to complete
a brochure discussing the 5 classes of drugs
and how each class uniquely affects
neurotransmission.
 Please also elaborate on specific types of
drugs that comprise each class and other
relevant information you acquire from your
text.
 Make the brochure informative and
interesting.
 Avoid including insignificant details and put
brochure IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
What happens after
we die?
 Monist – mind and
body inseparable;
death is final or belief
in bodily resurrection
(reincarnation)
 Dualist – mind and
body are two distinct
entities that interact;
death is mind’s
liberation from body
(Socrates, Plato,
Descartes)
